10 Secret Menu Chicken Sandwiches At Wendy's That You Need To Try

Maybe places like Popeyes or Chick Fil-A get more attention, but Wendy's makes a perfect chicken sandwich. There's a certain level of juiciness and quality crisp that simply isn't there at many other fast food places. Not only that, there is truly a great variety of chicken sandwiches at Wendy's. There's the option to choose classic or spicy chicken. There are standby sandwiches with basic toppings of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mayo. Then there are sandwiches that can't be found at other fast food joints, like the Asiago Ranch Chicken Sandwich or the Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich. 

For a company that loves to brag about its fresh, never-frozen beef, Wendy's is pretty stacked when it comes to chicken. But can we squeeze even more out of the Wendy's menu? You bet we can, we're professionals. Many restaurants have secret menus, but as a former Taco Bell worker and lifelong Wendy's enthusiast, let me be the one to tell you that not every delicious menu hack is an unwritten rule. Sometimes, an innovative taste combination comes from your own culinary experience and a little know-how. 

A former menu standby, this discontinued Wendy's sandwich still exists on the secret menu. It's actually pretty easy to hack: the Crispy Chicken BLT already features chicken, American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Order one of those sans cheese, and boom — Valley Crispy Chicken Club.

Don't catch us criticizing American cheese — that salty, melty goodness glues most of our favorite sandwiches together. However, there's something about biting into the Valley Crispy Chicken Sandwich that feels clean, almost refreshing. Maybe it's that the lettuce and tomato get to sing a little louder, maybe it's just a pleasant balance of ingredients. Whatever the case, we recommend this less-is-more kind of sandwich.

Wendy's has a great number of bygone chicken sandwiches no longer on the menu. The much beloved Monterey Chicken Sandwich, the Chicken Pita Wraps, and the Pretzel Chicken Pub Sandwich are just a few of the discontinued cluckers we miss, but can't hack the menu to get. The old days aren't entirely gone, though. Luckily, the Valley Crispy Chicken Club is just one ingredient subtraction away.

Do you love the idea of a sandwich with six slices of bacon, ketchup, and mayo, but don't want to eat beef? Good news, you can totally order a Baconator with chicken patties. There's a truly wonderful crunch that comes from biting into fried chicken and bacon at the same time. Why not double your pleasure, triple your fun, right? Pro tip, though: You may want to keep this sandwich wrapped up while you eat it. In our experience, the double chicken patty can get a touch slippery.

If you do get pushback when ordering the Chicken Baconator, you can also ask for a Crispy Chicken BLT with no veggies. The chicken, cheese, bacon, and mayo are the foundation — now all your sandwich needs is an extra chicken patty and extra bacon to summit that meaty Baconator mountain. Heads up, though: the Crispy Chicken BLT does not have ketchup. You'll need to either ask for ketchup or squeeze some from a packet if you want the extra savory bite from ketchup. 

This trick can work for the classic chicken patty, but believe us when we say it's better with a spicy one. Order a spicy chicken sandwich — which comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayo to cool off that fiery breaded patty — and ask for chili in the sandwich. If your local Wendy's can't do that, ask for the sandwich and a side of chili, then dollop a little chili under that top bun. Alternatively, don't worry about the dainty dolloping and dip your whole sandwich right into that cup of chili. Go ahead, we won't judge. By the way, this sandwich really benefits from pickles, so make sure to leave those on when you're ordering.

As far as chilis go, Wendy's is pretty mild. That's not a criticism. It's a chili designed to appeal to as many people as possible. Many chili lovers will agree, however, that part of the joy of tucking into a bowl is getting some cayenne stuck in your throat at least once. A Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich lends itself beautifully to the make-yourself-cough effort.

Here's a trick to combine sweetness, tartness, and spicy heat into one meal: Order the Spicy Chicken Sandwich — which typically comes with a spicy patty, lettuce, tomato, and mayo — with no mayo. Then, ask for a side of Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing. Sure, you have to add the dressing yourself, but the extra effort is absolutely worth it. Of course, this trick works with a classic chicken patty instead of a spicy one. We just happen to think the spices in the breading and the tartness of the Pomegranate Vinaigrette will really make your taste buds dance.

Wendy's is great at having menu items that cater to more adult tastes. Dipping chicken nuggets in honey mustard is a joy for people of all ages, but sometimes you want a funky Asiago cheese putting a slight wrinkle in your nose with every bite. You want a tart vinaigrette prickling at the back of your tongue. Eating, as a sensory experience, goes way beyond satiating hunger. It even goes way beyond the basic salty, sweet, and umami appeals of fast food. When you drizzle Pomegranate Vinaigrette over that spicy chicken patty, you're leveling up. 

The Grilled Chicken Wrap is a delightful treat with grilled chicken strips, lettuce, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, and ranch sauce. Pretty excellent combination, but can we juzz it up a bit? Sure can, just ask for no ranch sauce, order a side of Caesar dressing, and boom. A chicken Caesar salad that you don't need a fork to eat. That's the great benefit of wraps, right? That they're essentially handheld salads? Maybe go for a nice walk in the park, listen to the birds sing — that is, if you can even hear them over the crunch of the fresh lettuce. A faint echo of the Wendy's Pita sandwiches from the 1990s, this wrap might be the closest we'll ever be able to get — unless the company brings pitas back, but we're not holding our breath.

Wendy's salad dressings include Caesar, Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Ranch, and Chili. Of course, chili already comes as a side on its own. Ranch is on plenty of Wendy's chicken sandwiches. The Caesar and Pomegranate Vinaigrette, however? Those two are almost like guarded knowledge. As if you have to ask the librarian for a special key and go down to the basement to find those recipe books. Luckily, we're here to pass on this knowledge. Order salad dressing sides for your Wendy's sandwiches.

The Classic Chicken Sandwich earns its modifier: lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickles are exactly what you'd expect on a fried chicken sandwich. If you want to take your lunch to the next level, though, order a Classic Chicken Sandwich with no mayo and a side of honey mustard. Slather the tingly yellow sauce under the top bun, and see where that takes you. When Mariah Carey sang about belonging together, she might as well have been singing about chicken and honey mustard. Especially the honey mustard at Wendy's, with its signature kick. 

The grilled chicken patties aren't available anymore. It's sad, because swap a grilled patty for a crispy patty, and this used to be a menu item – both in sandwich and wrap form. The pairing makes so much sense that it's mildly shocking the item didn't stick around. Of course, we're judging based on vibe-based criteria, such as our own taste buds and experience. We're not necessarily looking at hard sales data, spreadsheets, or however Wendy's makes decisions. Good taste, sad to say, doesn't make a stock portfolio go up. Until the day comes when it's good for shareholder value to sell these types of meals, we're just going to have to make Honey Mustard Classic Chicken Sandwiches the hard way.

This sandwich packs more complex flavor than you thought possible with fast food. Order an Asiago Ranch Chicken Club, which features Asiago cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and ranch sauce. Except, for this hack, you don't want ranch. Either a spicy patty or a classic patty will work just fine. Ask for a side of Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing, add it to the sandwich, and let your taste buds go on a journey. Have you ever seen a cheese board served with funky cheeses and jam? Have you ever put a tart jam on a cracker, then topped the whole thing with a beautifully gnarly-smelling Roquefort? This is the same principle, just at Wendy's.

Fast food is famous for relatively simple ingredients and flavor profiles largely because fast food was invented in the middle of the 20th century, with midcentury technology. The guys running the hot dog cart that became Carl's Jr. would've thought of things like Asiago cheese or packets of Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing as frivolities. Not you, though. You are a gourmand of the 21st century, boldly adventuring through drive-thru lines to explore heretofore unknown frontiers of fast food flavor. Mix Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Asiago cheese on a chicken sandwich, and be a part of human progress.

Wendy's will often have pretzel buns available for limited time offer items. Even if the special item is a burger, guess what? You can totally ask for a pretzel bun to hold any chicken sandwich. The pretzel bun is usually seasonal around September and October, so look to use this hack around the same time you start craving pumpkin spice lattes. Previously, Wendy's has carried items like the Pretzel Pub Chicken Sandwich, which comes with a savory beer cheese sauce. However, if you'd prefer your favorite sandwich — say, a Spicy Asiago Ranch Club or Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich— to have a pretzel bun, simply ask to upgrade the bun. 

@reloadseats

First Time Trying the NEW SPICY CHICKEN PUB Sandwich From Wendys! #foodreview #foodie #mukbang #foodtiktok #foodcritic #fyp #fypシ #wendys #viral

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What's really great about this hack is it's an easy way to break out of routine. We get it, everyone has their favorites and go-to orders at various fast food spots. It's easy to enjoy both burgers and chicken sandwiches, but still catch yourself ordering that same combo meal over and over. If you're really craving an old standby, but do want to shake things up a little, try out a pretzel bun when they're available. 

The Crispy Chicken BLT combines two of the best sandwiches there are — fried chicken, and BLT. There's a relatively straightforward combination of chicken, American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Why not kick it up a notch, though? Combine three of the best foods there are, and bring Caesar Salad to the party. All you need to do is order a Crispy Chicken BLT with no mayo and a side of Caesar salad dressing. Of course, you'll have to do the work of adding the Caesar dressing yourself, but that tiny bit of extra effort is worth it.

Mayo is a perfect condiment for crunchy meats like fried chicken and bacon. Perfect for crisp, fresh veggies, too. Mayo is complementary, though — it's not bringing much to the party flavor wise, besides richness. Add a little extra bite to your lunch with this particular menu hack. Besides, it's not like Wendy's hasn't done this flavor combo before. Maybe you don't remember Wendy's in the 1990s, but the Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita was a huge hit. A faint hint of that old glory can be recaptured with this menu move. 

Okay, we'll admit it. It's cheating —just a little — to include this one, since it also involves a beef patty and bacon. But is not the chicken an equally important part of the barnyard burger? Employees should know this not-so-secret item, but just in case: order a chicken sandwich of your choice and a burger of your choice, then add the chicken to the burger. Just make sure one of those sandwiches has bacon — it's not a barnyard without pork. We recommend asking for a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, which features the burger patty, cheese bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Then, order a Crispy Chicken Sandwich, an appropriately minimalist item with chicken, lettuce, and mayo. Finally, remove the chicken patty from its home sandwich and shove it under the burger. 

@sarahmargareteats

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In some ways, you couldn't dream up a more perfect secret menu item than the Barnyard Burger. It's somewhat silly, it's something you wouldn't want to eat all the time, but it's absolutely a treat when you do get one. The artificial limitations of normal lunch don't apply to you when you eat this sandwich. You're the master of your own domain, whether that's a literal barnyard, or simply the Formica tabletop at Wendy's.